Author's Note: Everything is worded very carefully. And yes, they are going to be tricking people into believing they are no longer together, but you won't see that for a little while. Remember, this is going to be a looooong story. It covers a four year span.

And if you think she seems depressed think about it. You just get your heart broken by the guy you had been dating for two years. Wouldn't you feel kind of down? And to have the constant reminder of him because you are best friends with his sister? Also, Mia is going to seem different because she is older than she is in Ms. Cabot's books.

Eerkith- Drinking is cliche I agree. But remember, he is in college now. He isn't the Michael we all know and love from the books. He is trying to make new friends. Sad huh? Yeah, don't worry, even HE admits that it's sad.

I took a cab to where Paul had told me to go. I was at the Plaza Hotel. Great, remind me of Mia a little bit more. I saw a bunch of limousine's showing up, that's normal though in the city. I walked in with my suit in it's bag still with a sinking suspcion(sp?) . I got changed in the bathroom. I saw Paul and George hanging out outside of the room. Paul was throwing corn nuts at George who barely even noticed. He was too busy staring at the beauty that was his hands.

I looked up and stared at the ball room. The newly named Clarisse Renaldo Ball Room. I was supposed to have gone to the dedication, but after the breakup I was obviously dis invited. I had gone to a bunch of events in this very room with Mia. I sighed, forget her. She is on a date with some other guy. A guy she drooled after since she was eleven.
"So, what exactly are we playing for?" I asked suspiciously. I saw a bunch of kids coming in with boutonnières and corsages. I had a sinking feeling.
"The Albert Einstein High School Junior Prom," George replied, strumming on his air guitar. "The other band cancelled. Some chick suggested us."
Lilly. That evil wench. She had been in charge of the music for the dance. I bet she fired the other band. No one else knew this band but her.

"Awesome," I replied. I thought of something right then. "Guys, remember that song I played when I auditioned for the band?"

They (that is, Lilly and Mia's group) didn't show up until a half an hour after we started playing. I was singing some stupid pop song that was a big hit around then. Lilly poked her with her elbow and she looked up in amazement. I pretended not to notice them. I closed my eyes and kept playing.
Throughout the dinner part I saw that Elias was on his cell phone. I could hear him yelling at the other person.
We had a short break so I went to the bar and got some water. My throat was feeling scratchy. Okay, so what if Mia was near the bar talking to some other friends?
I stood at the bar and waited for her to finish up the conversation so I could approach her. I refilled my cup twice before she finally turned so she could go back to her table. "Oh, Michael," she said, surprised. "Y-You sound really good up there-"
"Did you want a drink?"

She nodded, "D-"

"Excuse me, can this young lady have a diet Coke with a lime?" I asked the bartender.

She smiled, "You got it right."

I ignored that comment, "You look amazing," I said, "Even better than my prom."
She blushed and turned away so I wouldn't see what I had made her do. I had always talked about that dress she had worn. I had never seen one like it before.
"Thanks."
"The color looks nice on you, always has."
She looked uncomfortable.
"Who has Mr. Wonderful been talking to?"
She laughed, "His agent," she replied, looking back at him. Girls were staring at him from across the room. I noticed that Lana was pushing her new boyfriend aside so Elias would notice her.
"Oh?" I realized then that she never stood up for him when I sarcastically called him Mr. Wonderful.
"Yeah. There's this movie he wants to do this summer, something with elves in a ring or something. I don't know, it's a big deal-"
"They are doing the Lord of the Rings movies?" I asked, shocked.
She looked confused, "Yeah, I think that's what it is…."
"That's awesome! Well, I mean, I hope they don't destroy the story. You know, like, take major characters out and try to make the audience love the new guys. I hate when they do that."
She smiled and rolled her eyes. "You are such a nerd, Michael," she teasedhitting me playfully on the shoulder.
I brushed an eyelash off of her cheek. Okay, I saw that in a movie once and the guy got the girl so I pretended there was an eyelash there. Can't blame me. I was being nice, and got to touch her a little.
"Oh, thanks," she said.
I leaned in and kissed her cheek, "He better get off his damn phone and dance with you," I whispered.
"I hope he will," she said, looking back at him. I noticed how red she turned after I kissed her cheek. She MUST still have feelings for me.
He looked like a moron, wearing glasses indoors.
I went back up to the stage and we started playing the dance songs. I noticed that she was only dancing with the girls and their dates in a big group. Boy Wonder was still at the table arguing with the phone.
A slow song came up and she looked lost. All of her friends paired off and Elias never made a move to her. She stared at the ground and walked off the dance floor. I watched as she sat down next to her date. He barely noticed her. She tried touching his arm to get his attention but he gave her a dirty look and walked away, leaving her all alone.
She hates being alone like this. I almost stopped playing the song and played a fast one to help her avoid being alone at her prom.
He came somewhat near the stage, but away from the speakers so he could be away from her pestering him.
"No, yeah she just doesn't get it. I'm not into the whole dance shit. Besides this publicity is getting old…did you send those flowers to Meg? Okay, good… so anyways…"
I couldn't help it. I started swaying my hips and 'accidentally' hit him in the nose with my guitar. Oh well, too bad.
After that song I leaned into Paul and told him what I wanted to play next.
No one recognized the song, most seemed almost relieved for something new. Lilly recognized it though. She had heard me sing it to Mia hundreds of times. She smiled at me. Mia didn't seem to pay attention to the song though. She looked around the room for her date. She didn't know that he was in the bathroom nursing a bloody, possibly broken nose.
She finally caught the tune and looked up at me, center stage, staring at her. She started walking through the crowds of couples on the dance floor, ignoring the dirty looks she was given. I stopped playing my instrument and let the other guys take over. Paul smiled a little and took over my singing part.
She pulled me off stage and onto a balcony. "Michael…"
"Yes?" replied, pulling her closer to me. My hands were securely on her hips at this point.
"Kiss me," she whispered.
"With pleasure," I answered with a smile.

So that is how we got together, broke up, and then got back together again. She humiliated Elias that night. Rumor going around is that she found out he was cheating on her, so she punched him in the nose.
His perfect nose. He didn't get that part he wanted either, Frodo. Ha, Elijah Wood would be better anyways… I bet he didn't wear sunglasses indoors.

I took Mia home that night. It was like the gods were raining on us because it was a perfectly clear evening. Not a cloud in sight. She didn't want to take the limousine like the other kids, so we walked, but not to her loft. We went to my dorm. There was a party over at one of the fraternities that I had friends in, so we headed over there.
She changed, of course. Her grandmother had an outfit made for her for the post prom parties. She had assumed that maybe, just maybe, Elias would wisk Mia off to Los Angeles where he would certainly know how to party.
But I didn't want to party. She didn't want to party. We had just gotten back together. I mean, there were things we had to talk about, we are famous for our long drawn out discussions, but at that time we just wanted…well, to hold on to one another for dear life.
And we did. I kept my hand on her hip as much as possible. I had a drink in one hand, on of the few non alcoholic ones available. I didn't want to be drunk tonight, I wanted to savor every moment
She felt so wonderful…so close to me. I took in her vanilla smell and realized there must be a God if she is here with me at this moment. People thought we were strange because we just kept looking at one another. I kept looking because I was having a hard time believing she was sitting right there next to me.
She looked at me after we'd been at a party for an hour or two, "Michael, I have to be back at your parents eventually, you know…"
So we got onto the subway, and acted in a very un princess like way (I have definately gotten over my fear of PDA). We kissed a little on the subway, which gave way to a make out session back at the apartment. I had missed her lips so much, I hadn't appreciated what they were capable of when we had been together before. I would now though. Very muchly I would.
She didn't go into Lilly's room though. I thought she would after our small make out session in the hall, so I went into my old room to crash. She followed me. "What are you doing?" I asked, hopefully.
She laughed, "I'm not seducing you, so don't get too far ahead of yourself buster."
I could feel my cheeks redden. "Oh?"
She stared at my bed. "I'm just not ready for the night to be over yet…"
I pulled back my sheets and invited her to lay down with me. "We should probably talk a little before people start asking us questions."
She obliged, but only after I offered a pair of my boxers and a t-shirt to wear to bed. The ones she always wore. The ones with sailboats on them. And the shirt was hers, but she left it with me. I just never bothered to return it after the breakup. It had been my souvenier (A/N: totally wrong spelling but please don't go on about it in reviews. I admit that I suck at spelling )

My heart was absolutely racing. I perversely watched her change into the clothes. I had seen her body before, but not when it was entirely nude. It wasn't something she was ever comfortable with. I certainly had never seen her bottom half, so I was curious. I sat on the foot of my bed and had a goofy smile on.
She saw me and mischeviously smiled, "Like what you are seeing?"
I nodded with a goofy grin. She slid my boxers on, and jumped onto my bed.

"So?" she asked.
I licked my lips and kissed her, "We should really talk before we do anything…"
"We aren't going to have sex," she reminded me.
"I know. But I also want you to know that the moment I broke up with you started the absolute worst four months of my entire life." I'm not going to lie. I kind of hoped we would like couples do in movies when they suddenly realize they are desperate for one another. But talking is good. As long as we don't fool around to the point of no return.
She pulled off my undershirt. She knew I hated sleeping with a shirt on. I shimmied out of my pants and simply had my pink flamingo boxers on me.

"It has been horrible," she agreed.
"No, just listen. This whole stupid thing is my damn fault. I want to explain why I did what I did, okay?"
She nodded. "I'm not arguing that it was your fault."
"Well, you were right, it was my friends suggestion that I break it off with you. They have been for a while, even last year. But I ignored them last year. This year, when I started getting closer to them I wanted them to accept me so I basically did what they did, within reason. But what I did to you definitely was NOT within reason. It was the stupidest thing I had ever done. And the way I hurt you, leading up to the end, I could kill myself. I knew even before I broke up with you that it was a mistake…that I was supposed to be with you. Mia, you are the only one I want. The only one I need. You know how many times I wanted to pick up my phone just to call you?"

She shook her head, "Probably as many times as I wanted to call you. I didn't want to look…desperate though."
"Like, I found myself watching Lifetime movies all night long. When there was this one true story one, about a woman being charged with murdering her lover's wife, I wanted to call you and have you come over and cuddle with me, like we used to…" with that she snuggled closer to me. " Because you always say that the true stories are better…" I said fading out. Finally, "It was so hard seeing you with Elias…."
She kissed my bare chest. "I was never with him really. We were just kind of…wasting time between our real loves of our lives. He has some girl named Meg or something. He just told me about her recently. I never trusted him…you can't trust a man who wears sunglasses indoors."
I laughed, we thought alike.
"Mia, I never was…you know, like this with anyone else…"
She stared up to my eyes, "I never did anything with Elias. He wanted to but…I knew I would get back together with you so…"
I didn't let her finish her statement. I started kissing her instead. She tasted so….lovely (am I becoming a woman by saying lovely?). Her skin was so soft, like velvet. I was happy to know that no one else had touched her like this other than me. No stupid sunglass toting movie star had gotten his hands on my girl. On my Mia.
About an hour later, an hour filled with kisses and soft laughter later, she reluctantly got up and went to my sisters room. Lilly was going to be pissed to see Mia in my clothes, but I didn't care. I got to have my Mia.